How the Celtics first noticed Springer thanks to a booming block and a preseason visit

How the Celtics first noticed Springer thanks to a booming block and a preseason visit.

Xavier Tillman and Jaden Springer were acquired by the Celtics during the trade deadline. Chris Forsberg and Brian Scalabrine discuss their opinions on the transfers.

In a preseason game, how can you make an impact on the front office of the Boston Celtics? An amazing, highlight-reel block from a superstar player definitely helps to raise the antennae.

Following his acquisition of Jaden Springer during the trade deadline this past week, Brad Stevens, the president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, remarked on how the former first-round pick’s defensive prowess in the team’s October preseason opener truly put Springer on the team’s radar.

We had spent some time following Jaden. After our preseason game here, I saw Jaden really defend, and he moved from a guy I was intrigued in to a person I was extremely interested in,” Stevens remarked. Like, really, truly protect. We thus kept a closer eye on him.”

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In that exhibition game, Springer played 23 minutes and 37 seconds and scored 14 points on 5 of 7 shots, but his play on the defensive end stood out the most. Despite playing mostly defense against All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown, Springer maneuvered well and had some standout defensive plays.

The loudest of them all was his block on Jayson Tatum.

After dominating Danny Green in the third quarter, Tatum seemed to have an easy route to the basket. Staying close by, Springer took the audacious move to challenge Tatum’s effort at a booming one-handed flush and stuffed it.

Xavier Tillman, another defensive-minded trade deadline addition, and Springer have not yet made their Boston debuts. Tuesday and Wednesday are the Celtics’ home-and-home games against the Nets before the All-Star break. A busy schedule for the last games of the season might present Springer with more opportunity to play.

Springer frequently displays his athleticism in blocks that make up his NBA highlight reel. Despite his 6-foot-4 stature, he can play much larger thanks to his quickness and leaping abilities.

According to Cleaning the Glass data, throughout his floor time, Springer is blocking 1.9 percent of all opponent shot attempts, which puts him in the 99th percentile among all wing players. To put things in perspective, CTG statistics shows that Derrick White, who may be the league’s top shot-blocking guard, blocks 1.8% of all shots while on the court.

During the latter halves of the preseason game against Boston, Brown was harassed by Springer. But what really highlighted his effect was his ability to sidestep Brown and unsettle ball handlers. During a moment in the first half, Tatum attempted a drive, but Springer stopped him with assistance, changed to a shooter, and then scurried all the way back to Brown, almost forcing a turnover. During a play in the second half, Brown attempted to drive the ball, but Springer blocked him and then stole the ball when Brown passed it back to Porzingis.

Despite the limited sample size of 277 minutes, Springer’s theft rate this season is 2.7% of possessions, which is in the 99th percentile for wings (tied with Gary Payton II of Golden State for second place among wings, per CTG), one spot behind Matisse Thybulle.

In that preseason game, Springer was nothing short of a dynamo. His instincts were sound when it came to smashing the offensive glass, and he managed to keep possessions alive twice by slipping between Jrue Holiday and White, the All-Defense tandem.

The advanced metrics shine once more. This season, Springer has pulled down offensive rebounds on 7.4% of his team’s missed shots, placing him in the 98th percentile among wings according to CTG.

That night, Springer produced one of his more noteworthy offensive performances, but he will need to work on his offense in Boston. Springer hit 23.8 percent from outside the 3-point arc and 41.6 percent from the floor in 50 career games with the Sixers.

Sixers general manager Daryl Morey stated that the organization preferred acquiring a second-round pick than expecting Springer to become a playoff player in the near future. Though they don’t have to rush into the draft to acquire Springer, the Celtics do gain a young guy with a strong defensive skill set that they can hopefully develop, especially considering they haven’t had a first-round pick since Stevens took over.